


Believe

by BrandonJT



Series: Captain Carter Universe [1]
Category: Agent Carter (TV), Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bisexual Peggy Carter, F/F, Peggy Carter as Captain America
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-31
Updated: 2017-07-31
Packaged: 2018-12-09 06:01:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11663091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrandonJT/pseuds/BrandonJT
Summary: This bloody girl was the only thing she liked about the 21st century.





	Believe

"Peggy? Are you there?"

She could barely hear Steve, the weight of the situation on her mind. There she was, on the Hydra bomber, flying over the ocean. It was far too late to get help or make a safe landing, this would require some old-fashioned self sacrifice. But she was prepared to die for king and country, in this case she would even be dying for the world.

"Yes, Steve, but not for long. I have to force the plane down, before it hits New York City." Peggy replied, a solemn look on her face. She tried to be as composed as possible, but she had somehow fallen in love with this man. The USO artist who had stuck up for her, been by her side when no one else wanted to support a British Captain America, much less a female one.

"Peggy, no, we can get Howard's help, don't do this." Steve begged. She smiled, he was always an optimist. He would've made a wonderful Captain America for that. He was chosen, in fact, to become a super soldier by Dr. Erskine. She was simply a test subject, but after the serum was destroyed and the doctor along with it, they had to make due with the only super soldier they had.

"There's no time, Darling. I have to." the soldier said sadly as she forced the lever down. The ship dived towards the water at high speeds. From this altitude, she estimated that she had a minute or two left until it was over.

Being Captain America, Peggy always knew she might die in action. She didn't know she'd have all these friends, the Commandos, Howard, and her fellow soldiers. She certainly didn't know that there would be a charming, cute, and sweet man she would only share one kiss with but love dearly. The picture from his file, the one they took when he was training, was on the vehicle's dashboard. She looked at it and smiled softly.

"I can't lose you, Peggy, you're the only one who believes in me." he pleaded, his voice breaking near the end of the sad sentence. His somber voice broke her heart, reminded her of what could have been. Tears rolled down her face, her mascara running. She cleared her throat, knowing her last words were at hand. She had better make them count.

"Oh, Steve, we all believe in you." is what she left him with. Peggy took a deep breath as it all went dark.

* * *

"My only sin is I can't win, ooh I wanna love that man..."

That is what she woke up to. It was a rather pretty song, though she didn't recognize it. Strangely enough, the song itself wasn't the most interesting part. It was the quality, so sharp and crisp. Concentrate, Peggy, forget the bloody tune. Take in your surroundings. There was a view of New York City, it was too perfect, a chair across from the bed she was in, and the radio that played the song.

"Good morning, Captain Carter." a warm voice said. She looked to the door to see a woman walk in, one who was very obviously not a nurse. The shirt she was wearing, it was the same as her own. A symbol resembling that of the SSR's was on it, with words circling it that read "Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division". S.H.I.E.L.D.

"Where am I?" Peggy asked, looking around at the room. As a spy, she had been trained to recognize lies, and this felt like one.

"A recovery room in New York City." the woman politely answered. Peggy stretched her neck, her whole body feeling stiff. It was as if she frozen...frozen. Now she remembered what had happened, the ship, Steve's voice, the crash. She should be dead.

"No, that's not it. You're dressed incorrectly, the radio is wrong, and I'm in some ridiculous tight fitting shirt." the captain replied, catching the woman off guard. She nervously looked around.

"There...there's someone who should explain this to you." she stuttered before excusing herself. Whoever the woman was, she was new to this occupation.

"Nice to meet you, mam. My name is Nicholas J. Fury." the man who replaced her said. He was tall, bald, and had an almost comical patch over his right eye. His uniform differed from theirs, being much more striking and imposing. She didn't let anyone intimidate her.

"Where am I?" Peggy demanded, becoming increasingly nervous at the situation at hand. Fury sat down in the chair across from her bed and stroked his chin softly.

"New York City. April 17th, 2012. You've been asleep for a long time, Cap." Fury explained, shocking her. She squinted her eyes, trying to process the situation.

"70 years...the serum..." she muttered as it all came together. Even though she understood how it could be, she still had a thousand questions, some more pressing than others.

"I'm the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., an organization founded by Howard Stark and Steve Rogers to protect the world from threats it cannot handle." he continued. Now this caught her attention, her closest friend and the love of her life were behind this mysterious group. S.H.I.E.L.D., hmm? They always were sentimental.

"Wait, is Steve still alive?" Peggy questioned. Fury sadly shook his head. Oh God, the tables had turned. Now he was the one slipping away too soon.

"No, he died of hypothermia at 80. He was a great man who lived a long life." the Director assured her. She chuckled and wiped her eyes as she started to cry, despite her futile attempt to fight it.

"Yes, you don't need to tell me that..." Peggy murmured through tears. He stood up and shook her hand firmly before looking to the door.

"I'm sorry for this charade, we just wanted to ease you in slowly. I can see that was a mistake." Fury apologized. This was a sign of weakness, Peggy thought. She regained her poise and shook her head.

"You thought it best. Why am I here?" she asked. He could see through the facade she put up, but he knew not to push. He had a mission, and she needed to play a part.

"The world needs you, Cap. And we don't have much time to wait." Fury said simply. A mission, hmm? That would distract her. She needed to distract herself, ignore the problem. That would fix it.

"When do I start?" Peggy inquired, narrowing her eyes.

* * *

They had saved the world, and she had never felt worse.

It was good to be out in the field again, but everything around her reminded her of the constant grief. That ridiculous Tony Stark was just like his father with an even more dangerous arsenal at his irresponsible fingertips. She could barely comprehend that Thor character. The doctor was kind but he belonged in custody, not out on the field. At least that widow woman was respectable, and her friend seemed decent enough as well.

Peggy was in her own head while the others talked. They, or as Fury insisted, the Avengers, were at a restaurant that served something called shawarma. Tony invited them all, and she thought it rude to turn him down. As agitating as he was, and as low as she felt, she refused to be impolite. That was when something, someone, shook her out of it.

"You're the Avengers!" the waitress beamed. She was absolutely adorable, as was the cute Brooklyn accent, it reminded her of...no. Don't think of that, Peggy.

"Yeah, Angie? We'll have shawarma, there's one, two, six of us." Tony ordered, looking at her nametag. Peggy wouldn't be surprised if he did so just to see her chest. Which was rather nice.

"Got it, Mr. Stark!" Angie responded, running off to get their orders. The Iron Man, as he called himself, looked to Peggy with a smirk.

"You were staring." Tony teased. Natasha smiled slyly and turned to Clint, while Bruce opted to stay out of it. Thor put his hand on her shoulder and nodded.

"She's a fine woman." Thor added, completely serious. They all stifled a laugh as Peggy's face went red, her eyebrows narrowing. Everyone respectfully silenced themselves as Angie returned.

"Six shawarmas, right up." the waitress said with a smile. Tony, used to being served, dug right in. But Peggy would show more courtesy.

"Thank you, Angie. It's rare to see someone who enjoys their job so much." Peggy spoke up. Angie immediately turned her attention to the captain, and froze.

"C-Captain America! You saved my grandpa in World War II!" Angie squealed excitedly. For the first time since she had woken up in the 21st century, Peggy genuinely smiled and chuckled softly. The other Avengers watched in awe, shocked that she was even capable of these things.

"I was just doing my duty." she humbly replied. Angie swayed over to her as her teammates quietly ate their shawarmas.

"'Ya look just like the pictures. I forgot that you were English." Angie giggled, as Peggy smirked. Tony almost choked on his meal.

"Yes, it's quite ironic, isn't it?" Peggy said dryly, a shy smile on her face.

"I'll stop botherin' 'ya." Angie assured the Avengers, before turning to Captain America. "Stop by sometime, English." the waitress flirted before walking away.

"Did we just witness a love connection?" Tony asked his teammates, grinning. Thor laughed boisterously and patted Peggy on the back.

"I believe so!" the Asgardian cheered loudly. Peggy blushed furiously as she looked to the others. Bruce sipped his drink.

"She was very nice." Bruce said under his breath, while Natasha and Clint suppressed giggles. She narrowed her eyes.

"You should ask her out." Natasha suggested sincerely. Clint nodded and grinned smugly, doing a thumbs up.

"You are all terrible." Peggy whined, a pouty expression on her face.

* * *

Despite being rather flustered by her fellow Avengers, Peggy decided to visit the so-called "Shawarma Palace" again. She couldn't possibly have a crush on this quirky little waitress, no, that wasn't it. They were from completely different eras and she could never allow herself a distraction like romance again. Not after Steve.

But she had to admit that there was something to the eccentric woman. She made her happy, she brought a smile to her face, and she couldn't bare to live in this loud and obnoxious world without that. This bloody girl was the only thing she liked about the 21st century. Even though, God help her, Tony and the others were growing on her, she could use an ordinary friend.

"Cap!" Angie greeted her with a grin. Peggy blushed and seated herself as the waitress scurried over in her black shoes.

"Yes, good to see you too, Angie." Peggy cordially replied. Angie looked around the restaurant to make sure the coast was clear before sitting on the table. The captain raised one eyebrow.

"What can I get 'ya, English? Well, I guess we don't have much." Angie rambled on. Peggy showed her an amused smile.

"Iced tea please. None of that infernal sweetener that you Americans like, either." she ordered, before realizing the humor in Captain America insulting an American custom.

"Right away, Captain Britain." Angie teased, hopping off to get her the tea. Truth be told, she came to see the waitress more than anything else, so she was glad when Angie made her speedy return.

"So how did an English lady like you become Captain America?" she asked, setting the iced tea in front of Peggy. The British woman sipped it and smiled up at her.

"Well, I obviously wasn't their first choice. They picked...someone else." Peggy began, dancing around the subject of Steve. "I merely volunteered to be a test subject. But after the Germans killed the doctor who invented the formula, they had to settle for what they had." she went on.

"You don't seem like somethin' to settle for." Angie complimented her. Peggy's cheeks flushed and she decided to change the subject.

"What do you do, Angie?" Peggy inquired. The waitress seemed a little amazed that Captain America would take an interest in her personal life.

"Besides this? I wanna be on Broadway." Angie admitted, putting her hands on the table. The captain raised an eyebrow and grinned.

"Really? Glad to hear that's still around." Peggy replied. Seeing that they were alone, Angie sat opposite of her.

"I'm Peggy Carter, but you can call me Captain America. I'm so muscular and I have an awesome shield and Iron Man is my best friend." Angie said in her best impression, managing a pretty impressive British accent. She grinned and nodded.

"You've got talent, Angie. But Mister Stark is hardly my best friend." she responded wryly. "I hope you get your big break." the superhero added.

"Yeah, me too..." the hopeful actress began. Peggy frowned as it became clear that she was struggling, but very quickly the optimist changed the subject. "How 'ya adjustin' to the 2010s? Datin' anybody?" Angie very obviously flirted. The captain was oblivious.

"No...no, I'm not. What about you? A beautiful young woman like yourself must have some man in her life." Peggy deflected. Angie nervously scratched the back of her neck and looked away.

"I...uh, I don't like guys..." the waitress muttered, visibly embarrassed. She gasped and shook her head, putting her hand on Angie's comfortingly.

"Oh! I'm so sorry for assuming, Angie." Peggy apologized. Angie, surprised, raised her eyebrows.

"That doesn't bother 'ya?" she asked. She usually kept that detail to herself, but she liked Peggy a lot, she didn't want to make it a big secret. Coming from someone from the 40s, that wasn't the reaction she expected.

"No, not at all. I fancy myself a modern woman." the captain explained. "I've always enjoyed the company of both sexes, in fact." she went on. This kindness brought a hopeful grin to Angie's face.

"Hey, listen...I know we've only met twice, and I know you're kinda Captain America, and I'm just some waitress...but would you wanna go out for dinner sometime?" Angie bravely offered, looking to the side shyly.

She wanted to say yes. She really did. Angie was kind and optimistic and talented, she had a bright future. She was so far removed from the intoxicating egotism and pretentiousness Peggy had to deal with on a daily basis. And on a more shallow level, Angie was absolutely beautiful. Her smile filled one's heart with joy, her hair was gorgeous, her eyes full of warmth. That joyous Brooklyn accent was only the icing on the cake. But she felt so guilty even thinking about moving on.

"I...I have to go. Goodbye, Angie." Peggy abruptly said, standing up and leaving in a rush. Angie sat there, shocked, as she realized she had been rejected.

"Guess not." the actress muttered to herself as she slumped down in the chair.

* * *

This was silly.

Absolutely ridiculous, in fact. But S.H.I.E.L.D. had flown her out to the capital to do some work, and she figured why not visit it. The subject at hand was the Captain America exhibit at the Smithsonian Institute. If she had been around when they proposed this flowery act of egotism, she would've immediately turned it down.

"Captain America paved the way for women in power across the world. Her story is one of bravery and self-sacrifice." the narration said. Peggy, in a red hat and blue suit to disguise herself, smirked. When they put it that way, she liked the sound of it.

Going unnoticed, Peggy slipped over to the beginning of the exhibit. She found it a tad odd that it seemed to be all about exposing her personal life, she hardly liked the Wiki or whatever it was called. But it was all very flattering, if somewhat sentimental and amusing. It was how the world interpreted her, rather than how she really was.

"Peggy Carter was chosen to become the world's first super soldier, a symbol of the American dream." the voice continued. She chuckled at how the truth was twisted. There was an exhibit for the Howling Commandos, nothing special, and...and there was a projection of Steve. There was Steve. He was sitting in front of the camera, clearly changed from the last time she saw him. He was muscular and healthy and in a suit.

"I was a sickly kid. I got picked on and bullied, I couldn't even enlist. Peggy, Captain Carter, I mean, saw me and thought there was something more than an artist. She believed in me, that's the last thing she said to me. I never forgot that. It's what inspired me to work so hard, to change my life. I wish she could've lived a long life. I wish she could've been happy. Because I believed in her." Steve monologued, emotion evident in his voice and expressions.

Peggy had to step outside, as all the emotion she had built up poured out. Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed, finally allowing herself to mourn Steve and Howard and all she had lost. She thought that locking her emotions away would be less painful, but this grief was cathartic. They were gone. They had lived long and happy lives, their legacies were cemented. The past was gone. She was still there.

As she wiped her tears away and took a deep breath, she knew what she had to do. Getting out her cell phone, she called Tony right away. To her surprise, he immediately replied.

"What's up, Cap?" he asked. She already hated herself for doing this.

"You offered me use of your private jet. Does that still hold up?" she politely inquired. Peggy could practically hear him grinning through the phone.

"Yes, but I have to know what would make you swallow your pride." the billionaire smugly asked. She sighed, opting to tell him the truth. He was offering her a plane, she decided he deserved that.

"I've got to ask Angie out for dinner. Our waitress." the captain muttered.

"I'll send the plane out, good luck on your date." he replied. The satisfaction in his voice was palpable, but Peggy was nonetheless grateful to have him as a friend. Like his father, Tony seemed to pull through when he was needed.

"Thank you, Tony." Peggy thanked him earnestly. After a few moments of silence, he replied.

"Anytime, Peggy." Tony responded happily before hanging up.

As soon as the plane landed, Peggy set off to catch a cab. By the time it stopped in front of Shawarma Palace, she had become rather nervous. The way she left was rather rude, and Angie didn't seem like the type who let others walk over her. Paying the taxi driver, she stepped out and looked in on the restaurant to see her wiping down tables. It seemed she had arrived at closing time.

She walked into the restaurant and Angie looked up, first a smile on her face before she looked rather cross. Angie put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes as Peggy spoke up.

"Angie, I know I acted like a complete arse by leaving suddenly, and I am so sorry for that." Peggy apologized, looking away. The waitress took a deep breath and her expression softened.

"I lost everyone when I woke up, and I refused to let you in because of it. That is absolutely not an excuse, but-" Peggy began, before Angie walked up and kissed her on the lips hard. She closed her eyes, enjoying the taste of the young woman's lipstick and how soft and supple her lips were.

"English, I'll go out to dinner with you." Angie said simply, grinning. Peggy couldn't help but grin right back.

"Thank you." the captain responded, as the waitress looked back at the counter.

"Lemme get my things, you're paying." she teased, walking over with a smirk. Peggy could only watch with a smile.

She didn't know how this would end, but she believed in Angie.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I've always wanted to try my hand at a Peggy!Cap fic, so here it is. 
> 
> And of course I had to tie Cartinelli into it, that's just who I am.


End file.
